Wilson Ramos Bio, Height, Weight, Why Was He Kidnapped?

Quick Facts

Wilson Ramos also called “The Buffalo” is a professional baseball player of Hispanic descent. He has played for Major League Baseball (MLB) sides such as Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals and currently has a running contract with Tampa Bay Rays. He plays as a catcher and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2016. Ramos was also kidnapped in 2011 in his hometown in Venezuela. Read to find out why he was kidnapped and how he was released, plus other quick facts.

Wilson Ramos Bio

A straightforward biography of Wilson Ramos is scarcely found on the web but only bits and pieces of his early life. He is known to be born in Valencia, Venezuela on August 10, 1987. His family lived and raised him and his siblings there. His father’s name is Abraham Ramos Campo and his mother is Maria Campos de Ramos. He has two brothers and one sister, David, Natanael, and Milangela Ramos. He attended high school at the U.E. Santa Ines in Venezuela. His college history is not available, owing to the fact that he may not have attended one. Ramos is of Hispanic descent and his nationality is Venezuelan.

Career

Wilson Ramos is known to have begun with the Major League Baseball (MLB) side, Minnesota Twins in 2004. Much about his career in Venezuelan baseball league is not known but we do know that he played for the Tigres de Aragua. He signed with the Twins as a free agent in 2004 but would make his MLB debut in 2010. He spent six years playing in the minor league for teams which include Fort Myers Miracle, New Britain Rock Cats and Rochester Red Wings. While in the minor league, Ramos had an impressive run catching 43% of potential base stealers with a .987 fielding percentage. He also won the Florida State League and was adjudged the third best prospect for the Twins in 2009. Upon an injury to Joe Mauer, Ramos made his MLB debut on May 1, 2010, and collected four hits to create a record. He became the first Twins player to manage four hits in his debut since Kirby Puckett did so in 1984.

However, his performances were not enough to keep him as the first choice as with the return of Mauer from injury, he lost the place and moved to the minor league and became a part of an exchange deal between the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals on July 29, 2010. His time with the Nationals was bedevilled by injuries but he still managed to post impressive numbers. He spent six seasons with them and won the National League Catchers Silver Slugger Award in 2016. He signed a two-year deal in December 2016 with the MLB side, Tampa Bay Rays. The deal is said to be worth $12.5 million.

Why Was Wison Ramos Kidnapped?

An incident occurred on November 9, 2011, that shook the entire world of baseball and by extension, all sports lovers world over as Wilson Ramos was kidnapped from his home (his mother’s house) in Valencia, Venezuela. It was reported that four armed men storm his mother’s residence where the major leaguer also stayed and whisked him away, right before his other family members – father, brother and cousin -with a Chevrolet Captiva. His face was covered with a black cloth as he was hulled to the back of the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).

Ramos, who has just come back to his homeland as the MLB season had just wound up so he could still play with his home team, Tigres de Aragua as he maintain his fitness for the next season, was taken to a mountainous region near the town of Montalban in central Venezuela with the aim of exchanging him for a huge ransom in cash.

He was rescued two days after his abduction and his captors – about eight individuals involved in the operation – were arrested, including a 74-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman who were supplying the kidnappers with food at their hideout. The building where he was held captive was raided and after series of gunshots between the kidnappers and the Venezuelan commandos which lasted about fifteen minutes, he was a free man again. Ramos was well, without any physical injuries at the time of his rescue and was said to have been fed by his abductors.

The incident with Wilson Ramos was not the first kidnapping in the region but it was the first of its kind. Prior to this time, baseball players’ family members are usually the target of such wicked act, however, the abduction of Ramos was the first time an MLB player would be abducted for a ransom in the country. The issue of kidnapping was a regular occurrence and as such bigger MLB players would pay for personal security and hire thugs who would follow them wherever they go.

For Ramos, he had just finished his rookie year in the MLB and had not made enough money to spend on his personal security detail at the time. It was reported that the kidnap was, according to the kidnappers, for “a ton of money” which they later told Ramos while in their custody was going to be about $400,000.

Weight, Height and Quick Facts

Name: Wilson Abraham Ramos Campos

Known as: Wilson Ramos

Nickname: The Buffalo

Profession: Baseball player

Birth Date: August 10, 1987

Horoscope: Leo

Birth Place: Valencia, Venezuela

Nationality: Venezuela

Spouse: Yeli Ramos (m. 2014)

Children: 1 (b. August 2014)

Height: 6 feet (1.83 m)

Weight:  99.8 kg (220 lbs)

Eye Color: Black

Hair Color: Black

Salary: 5.35 million (2016)

Net Worth: N/A

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.